Artifacts of Life

The plight of Mr. and Mrs. Frost.

How it Went

10

MAY/09

As our adventurers realized that the storm was upon them, they noticed the Tor in the distance. As it so happens, the Paladin knew this was Hightower Tor, an important stronghold in days long past, but now just a landmark for travellers. Recalling that a set of robbers dug a shaft into the Tor, the Paladin attempted to scale the tor and gain entrance from there. The feat proved difficult, however, as the rain and hail made the rocks too slippery to grip.

Entering the Tor, the party looks around and tries to open the doors, but finds all of them locked. Their attempts to break down the door fail, but the storm does the job, allowing the rats that have made the Tor their home access. Panicked, the Rat Swarm and Giant Ratsattack our adventurers. Taking minimal damage, the party dispatches the pests swiftly and move forward.

Barely upon entering the next room, the party is ambushed by Hobgoblin Grunt. Drawing on his arcane power, the Wizard incinerates the opposition, one by one. From the shadows, a Hobgoblin Archer strikes, but he doesn’t last long as the Wizard turns his focus upon him. Though the Hobgoblins don’t have much, one of them has a pair of Burglar’s Gloves that the Wizards takes as his reward for decimating the grave robbers.

Venturing on, our heroes take a detour down a narrow passageway. Though brave, our not too perceptive Paladin runs straight into a spider web, entangling himself and blocking the way. The real problem is the Deathjump Spider who makes its home in that web. Hopping around and attacking relentelessly, the Wizard finds it nearly impossible to escape. After a few hard hits, he finds himself on the verge of death and our Cleric helpless to stop it. It takes all they have to put the spider down, but they are rewarded with gold and a Belt of Vigor at the end of the tunnel. Putting on the belt, the Cleric leads the party on.

In the room at the end of the hall, our heroes notice gold scattered around the floor, but they don’t have a chance to take action before the corpses laid upon their final resting places rise to defend their treasure. A pair of Goblin Cutter Zombies rise to fight with their ancestral hero, The Dark Knight. Though the minions don’t seem to do much, the party is ravaged by The Dark Knight. The Cleric, though dealing heavy blows with his Radiant magic, is dropped by the master. Bruised and bleeding, the Cleric rises, and the battle is won, but not without much pain. The party takes the chance to rest up, setting the Eladrin Wizard on guard as he meditates.

Upon waking, the party collects their spoils in the form of gold and a Masterwork Longsword that the Paladin gladly collects. The Wizard, planning to restore it later, also takes the Dark Knight’s broken mace. With the storm still raging, our party returns to the entrance to explore the other rooms of the Tor. A treasure chest embedded in the floor greets them in the next room, and the Wizard carelessly opens it without caution. Daggers fly out from the chest, injuring the Wizard, but great treasure is inside as well. Gold and pearls are distributed and the Wizard takes the Headband of the Stout Heart inside.

The final room seems empty with the exception of a standing sarcophagus, but the party quickly finds this to be false as the skull from the tomb flies of, burning with green flame. The Paladin rushes forward, but the Wizard and the Cleric who are not so fast are blasted with a Flameskull’s Fireball. Though the skull seems strong, the Paladin repeatedly chases it down, pinning it in the corner and forcing it to focus only on him. Successive strikes from all three of our heroes eventually bring it down, disintegrating into dust. The party finds naught but a Translator’s Ring. As the heroes return to the entrance, they notice the storm has finally calmed down and they can venture forth once more.